


Urbanimals - A Dr. Stone AU

by SmolAfro



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, M/M, Multi, Recreational Drug Use, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-11-01 22:16:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20525375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmolAfro/pseuds/SmolAfro
Summary: Ah, College.  They say it's the moment where life truly begins.Chrome is new at college and like any awkward nerd with bad memories about high school, he will not miss an oportunity to reset his social life. At campus he'll find old friends and new aquintances, that will help him thru this crazy first year of real adulthood.





	1. Hello, world!

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter one is narrated from Chrome's perspective, althought that will be changing each chapter. These lovely characters and the original story belong to Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi. This is a translated version, my original one is in spanish, sorry for the grammar and other mistakes!

Ah, college. They say it is the moment where life for a young adult truly begins.

Specially for Chrome, that had had a bit of a troubled development all thru High School. Nobody truly remembers anything bad from kindergarden, but truth be told he had a high school life so full of bad moments not even in a cheesy teenage film, nerds had that many stuff to deal with. Well, life is a bit like that when you are what it would be considered in urban wildlife lingo as "an absolut nerd from head to toe".

Despite that, he had prevailed, with resilience, and in the graduation day he had said goodbye happily to that stage of his life, and to the people that surrounded him during that long secuence (save for a few teachers here and there), and with the best attitude he could muster he got ready to fully launch himself into the unknown. The new jungle 2.0, superior education, where he could finally reset his public image and make a handful of new friends along the way.

But first and foremost, it was of utmost importance that his mom stopped crying so much.

—Ma, come on, you're at it again?

The journey on the car could have been way more relax if it wasnt for the fact that his mom started bawling every few miles.That had him feeling nervous, he was wondering if it was wise for her to keep on driving whitout proper vision.

—I'm fine! Is just that...yikes I feel like you are going away from me forever

—Mom, 's going to be fine, I'll be back when classes are over ("If I don't find a decent summer job around here") ...don't worry , I'll be fine...

The brunette had no heart for the silence that was bestown upon them after he stopped talking. It was like his mom heard his thoughts. 

He felt like sliding a bit forward in his seat and got close enough to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek, which made his mom laugh nervously but cheerfully.

—You're right...I'm gonna go dry if I keep on crying like this...gotta see you grow up! you're fantastic Kuro-chan

For the rest of the way, Ishigami Kuromu, a.k.a Chrome, a.k.a Nerd from head to toe, a.k.a the most excited human on the planet earth currently, took his mom's hand and keep on talking to her and saying dumb stuff to make her laugh...and in the meantime, avoided any possible trafic incidents in the most important day of his life so far.

\---------------------------------------------

When they started catching a sight of the campus entrance, the cars in front of them started slowing down and eventually stopping, making a row of vehicles for the security stand, to check them before accesing the vicinity. There was a lot of noise, between the music blasting from some cars and the handful of young guys and gals in bright yellow shirts that came and go in the side of the road, talking to the people in the cars with enthusiasm, which piqued Chrome's interest. 

They were a bit far but while the cars kept slowly advancing, it was his turn to get a visit from one of these individuals. First thing that came to his mind about this guy was his HIGH energy, then his over the top voice and lastly, the blinding yellow of his shirt, which at some point could have been a regular shirt but the sleeves were cut off to work as a tank top instead. 

—Yo! What's up? You're new? 

—Yeah! —and then, without thinking, Chrome slid his hand out thru the window in order to shake it with the other guy

...which was fairly weird, I mean, it was possible that they didn't see each other anymore, campus was HUGE, maybe they were not even close, faculty wise, so doing a formal presentation was borderline dumb. 

Beef cake over there didn't thought much of it at all. Instead he grabbed Chrome's hand enthusiastically , then proceded to pull a bit from it and try to slide his other arm thru the window in order to hug him, with the car door in the middle and everything. The result of this was a clumsy awkward presentation with the background sound efect of a loud metallic t u d that made Mrs. Ishigami in the pilot seat, gasp in surprise. The guy outside now had a long red mark on his forehead but he acted like nothing happened and his huge smile gave away that either it didn't hurt or he didn't wanted to aknowledge it. 

Chrome felt like he needed to say something:

—I'm Chrome! ...I mean they call me Chrome but my name is Kuromu...well everyone calls me Chrome...well not everyone, just my cousin but ehhh...

—COOL! — the other exclaimed suddenly — I'm Taiju! Just wanted to help you out sort thru locations and stuff and I...oop! —he got away from the car briefly, signaling them to move forward, since cars in front of them had advanced further. Then he got close again to the window—....I wanted to let you know where your dorm would be and stuff...campus is a little gigantic uh?

A little gigantic, what a fun word play.

Taiju's high energy was enough to flush Chrome's possible embarassment down the toilet. He suddenly remembered he had printed a pamphlet he hat gotten via e-mail that had some sort of code on it and tended it to Taiju, that scanned it with a brief serious gaze before smiling once again before returning it to Chrome:

—You're gonna keep on going all the way straight...—and then, paciently, he gave all instructions needed to reach the dorm building, with all sorts of hand gestures and surrounding stuff to identify the location

Once they reached security, Taiju gave the car a bit of a loud spank and wished Chrome good luck, he said goodbye politely to his mom and then jogged away while saying:

—Remember! just across the street from the "clubs and fraternites fair"

Oh he would not forget that. 

\----------------------------

His mother and him had already said goodbye for a long while, time which her still had the car turned on, all doors oppened, and would not stop checking his luggage. She hugged him hard, kissed him in the forehead multiple times, and suddenly bringed up that one time he had gotten lost at the park when he was like 3 years old...then finally proceeded to remind him the phone number of the house in which he had been living in for the last 17 years of his existence, just in case he might need something. 

The brunette started dragging his luggage, looking atentively to the hallways of the dorm and then when he got to the right floor and the right hall, he stopped right in front the door that was suposed to be his shared room with an unknown person. On the door there were two slide spaces , one that was currently unocupied and one that was filled with a long white paper sheet with something written on it. He assumed that was the name of his roomie, but something in his mind set a familair ring to it, like he had seen that name somewhere else...

"Shishio Tsukasa"

He knocked twice on it to see if someone answered, but since no one seemed to react from the inside he just turned the handle and came in.

—Oh wow...

The room was squeaky clean, but there was a division very well diferenciated. There was of course a bed without sheets and a whole desk and closet space that were unocupied and that he assumed was his to use, but the other side was completely personalized by the other human that lived there: there were medals danging from the wall, a belt on top of them and a band with something written on it that he could not identify. On the desk, a simple laptop with a couple stickers over the brand sign, a book next to them that was precariously bookmarked with something like an old piece of paper. The chair was angled like someone just got up from it, but that was not certain. 

Chrome explored other places with his eyes, but he did not discover more than a few other details that in reality could have been in anyone's bedroom to be honest: A cricifix in the wall above the bed head, a photo of a family, something that looked like a little paper heart in a place that made it look like it was special, like a memory from something. A little whiteboard next to a cork board with lots of pins and post-its in different colors. Some of that stuff was weirdly femenine... 

Nerd from head to toe was already wondering if these dorms were co-ed and if his roomate was a religious bodybuilder lesbian.

—Oh, Hello.

Chrome turned around so fast the other guy looked at him a bit startled. 

Forget what I said about a bodybuilder lesbian, his roomante was Jesus Christ Superstar. Of course he had seen him somewhere else: back home, his dad was kind of a fan of MMA and for some time there were tv exhibits of this 18 year old athlete that was hot tea.

So...this is what it feels like to look at someone that is 6'5 in the eyes huh? Fascinating. 

—Sorry about my manners, did I scare you? It was not my intention...I'm Tsukasa! I guess you read it on the door...—his smile was kind, but the more than firm handshake stung on Chrome's hand for a bit and he had to pretend it didn't hurt at all

—Pleased to meet you...you can call me Chrome —and he tried to sound as badass as possible, to shake off the startled expression of his initial impression

—Well, make yourself at home, we can talk about our coexistence rules a bit later, I have to go to my spot at the clubs fair...hey, you should take a look around! There's nothing like joining a club, it keeps you active...specially on week one, which is kind of lax...but don't get too confident! 

While Tsukasa was talking, he kept on walking around his side of the room, looking for some peculiar stuff along the way. Ribbons, a whistle, a pendrive and a couple hairpins. Chrome noticed two things when Tsukasa leaned down to grab the last objects: first, his knuckles had a peculiar shape, probably from all the fighting, second, his hair was wet and a pretty extravagant floral smell oozed from it, and the only other place where he had smelled this same scent was in his older sister's shampoo, back home.

Maybe he was actually a bodybuilder lesbian after all.

Chrome said nothing else besides affirmative noises and a quick "see ya!" to which Tsukasa only answered with a side smile, interupted by the hair clips he was holding with his mouth. He jogged out the room while he was tying up his hair, quick and silent like a feather.

After that, Ishigami Kuromu unpacked only the essentials and with great curiosity and enthusiasm he went outside again, across the street, straight to the noisy conglomerate of people and tables and all sorts of interesting and colorful contraptions. Over his head, in the makeshift entrance of the fair, a big banner with handwritten letters welcomed him with the following phrase:

CLUBS & FRATS FAIR. WELCOME, TO STEINWELT COLLEGE

Oh he was so ready to jump straight into the unknown. Few things made him happier.


	2. Club Kids

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is from Kohaku's perspective

Kohaku had arrived earlier than anyone on campus that day. At 7 a.m. she was accessing the vicinity, driving her own car loaded with her personal belongings and with her mind going through all the things she would have to do in the next few hours to get as comfortable as possible. She arrived soon to the place that would be her dorm, unpacked completely and after that she met her companion, a very nice girl with a peculiar name that she liked immediately.

The blonde then went out to explore the building, the small study rooms and the recreation and snack areas. A vending machine gave her a bag of ketchup-flavored potatoes and a chocolate before she ventured out for a walk to other parts of the campus. The most beautiful thing about it was its gardens, justlike her older sister, Ruri, who had been studying on the same campus for some time and knew everything from start to finish, had told her.

—Kohaku, you should join a sorority! — Ruri had told her less than a week ago, earnestly over the phone —Or at least some club, if you don't like that idea... believe me, it's going to save your life so much, I'd be in a madhouse already if it wasn't for the friends who kept me company... really... take my advice, as a sister, I'm sure you will be fine!

Yes, perhaps it would be good, she would have to be a little more positive...

She was coming back from one of her walks when she heard a fuss that seemed to come from one of the gardens she had not yet passed through. It was a large spot between a dorm room and an artificial lake where ducks and turtles floated alike. There were plenty of tables with all kinds of exhibits and students of all shapes, sizes and colors handing out pamphlets, giving talks and generally trying to connect with people who were passing by out of curiosity. It was like a sort of fair and what she herself had imagined was confirmed by a long banner that hung above her head which read, in colors too bright for her taste: FAIR OF CLUBS AND FRATERNITIES, WELCOME TO STEINWELT COLLEGE.

She wrinkled her face a little, instinctively feeling all sorts of alarms flash in her head in the face of the unknown, but remembering Ruri's sweet voice and how she STRONGLY asked her to venture, even if it was just to look around. Kohaku put her hands into the pockets of her sweater, lowered her headphones down to her neck, turned the music she had been listening to zero, and took her first deer-like steps toward the true college experience. 

There was such diverse fauna.

She heard, on the side of the path she was following, a group of people singing, probably the acapella club, giving a demonstration. It had always seemed to her that such activities required a natural finesse that she did not possess, not to say that her voice was like that of a goat being slaughtered with a plastic spoon. She snorted and walked on, probably a sports club would do well, but the teams that seemed to be installed at the entrance of the event did not have a single woman advertising and that for her could be bad in the long run. Hmm! Gymnastics could be...there was also a runner's stand that seemed to have the right amount of estrogen to make her feel comfortable....

—Hello beautiful! Are you looking for a club?

She would not have thought the compliment was directed at her had it not been because the stranger also had the audacity to grab her by the shoulder to stop her. That set her nerves on edge immediately, and she would have reacted violently...but then she remembered Ruri, in the shape of an angel resting on her right shoulder and telling her STRONGLY to make friends without using her fists. 

I mean, it had been so easy with Amaryllis this morning, why was she so nervous? Was it because there were too many people around her? Childhood traumas? Premenstrual syndrome? 

Kohaku turned to look, and tried as much as possible not to make a grotesque face. It was more like a neutral expression.

The guy who had stopped her was tall, with blond hair almost reaching the shoulders and an expression of confidence that made her decide mentally that she already disliked him, at least a little. She did a quick scan, noting both the individual and the stall behind him. Everything on that table was in shades of blue, there were some exposed bathing suits, a turret of pamphlets, lined whistles and some funny souvenirs that had to do with water and water sports. 

The guy also wore a light, minimalist T-shirt that read "Perseus Team" on his chest, but seemed to be a smaller than ideal for him size, probably a market strategy to attract girls. The hand that had previously been on her shoulder without her permission was now extended in front of her, as a presentation, so Kohaku took the opportunity to shake it more forcefully than necessary to establish her status as anything but prey. She would be lying if she said she did not enjoy the confusion in the blonde's expression. 

—How athletic, —said the other at last, with a voice between kind and provocative. There was something arrogant about his expression that had barely softened a little— Hands have muscles that you have to exercise, you know, to keep your handshake firm... it turns out that swimming is a very complete exercise. My name is Nanami Ryusui, it's a pleasure...miss?

—Weinberg. —Just like that. And she didn't say any more. 

There was a brief tense silence that fluttered over the two before Ryusui let out a laugh that left her a little disconcerted for a moment.

—Okay, okay, I get it... Sorry to offend you, Dr. Weinberg. Was it the compliment? I think that all women are beautiful without exception...I just thought that the club needed a little more feminine energy, I don't know if you noticed the testosterone show in the other groups...—he said, pointing briefly with his thumb to some tables behind him, something that Kohaku was already thinking of from her previous exploration. 

She scanned with her blue eyes around the table of the Perseus team and realized that there were a couple of photos of girls with medals, just as there was a young girl not far from them handing out pamphlets to a couple of boys who had approached to look around. 

Well, in logic Nanami Ryusui had a point. A point.

The boy gave her a sardonic smile when she laid her eyes on him again:

—By the way, we're all obliged to wear Olympic bathing suits to get into the pool...so don't think my mission of recruiting girls has ulterior motives or anything like that...well, I think I was very ungentlemanly, if you still want the talk let me know after you've explored your other options...—and holding out a pamphlet to her, he took a couple of steps backwards and slid into his next victim, a girl who also looked new, who was taking something off the table on her own and was surprised by the wave of male energy that abruptly pounced on her.

Much to her regret, that made Kohaku laugh, and as she resumed her journey she glanced through the pamphlet slightly.

Everything was going well for a few minutes, until suddenly she collided fully with a person who was in a bit of a hurry in the opposite direction. She felt herself staggering on her platforms (horrible, terrible idea wearing high shoes at a fair on a campus, of all possible places) but was stopped by the person she had stumbled upon, being left in a position that could only be described as the climax of a passionate tango scene in a very embarrassing pink film. 

—My God, excuse me. I don't have to be running like a madman, let me...

Tsukasa released her immediately, but not before making sure that she was in balance on the ground, on her own feet. 

" What is wrong with this campus? Are all students super models or what?"

—Goodness! Don't worry, leave it at that...! -Kohaku quickly got rid of Tsukasa's hands when she was already standing and began to move away from the scene quickly, avoiding some glances she had raised. 

Her humor would have been disturbed in a very negative way had it not been because from the corner of her eye she caught a familiar face that made her eyes light up with joy and nostalgia:

—Chrome!

The brunette stopped his curious steps between a couple of drink and hot dogs stands, and began to look for the source of the sound among the bustling passers-by. Kohaku, who had little patience and very fiery feelings, surprised him with a suffocating embrace, hanging from his neck.

—Chrome! It' s been years! 

Kohaku had very happy and distant memories, but patent, after all, they had gone to primary school together. She felt Chrome's arms squeeze tightly back, and though he laughed, tight words escaped his lips:

—Help! A lioness is attacking me! 

Although in a normal situation she would have been bothered to be called that, at this moment she was too happy to see a familiar face in the middle of the jungle. 

\-------------------------------

In the first grade, Weinberg Kohaku had felt like an alien when she realized she was the only blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl in the room. That, added to the fact that she was very prone to fight with the boys, made her an object of bullying very early. 

She felt quite lonely but had never said anything to her parents about it, because she wanted to be big and defend herself. Either because the school staff wanted to be good to her, or because they didn't want to deal with the problems that her situation brought, she was transferred to the morning shift, where she was received by another first grade, free of impressions. In this classroom she was not the only blonde, but there was another small group of marginalized people from whom she quickly became friends with. Her small troop of misfits consisted of three members: She, with her tendency to fight against injustices; Kinro, a rather cowardly child who collected insects; and Chrome, with all his Nerd power who always had something new to contribute. Apparently no one likes tomboys, kids who play with dirt, or smartasses, so the three became inseparable friends. At least until the end of primary school, when Chrome changed schools and only continued in contact through letters and later through occasional messages on the cell phone. 

\-------------------------------

Although Chrome was a little taller, had less frizzy hair and wore less eye-catching clothes than before, his eyes and smile were the same. That made her feel warm, like at home. She wanted to know how things had been for him the entire time they had been physically separated, and actually catching up in person was completely different from catching up on the phone. Chrome seemed especially excited about college, didn't take long to point out where he was going to be sleeping, and they shared their career choices and the things that had caught their attention for the day. When Kohaku asked him about a club or a fraternity, Chrome went a little blank, moving his eyes quickly around:

—To be honest, I haven't found anything yet that I find interesting. I think I'm going to end up joining anything just to try. After all, the soul of a scientist is not to be afraid to try new things...

Yes, he was definitely the same as always. They walked together for a while until suddenly Chrome's feet stopped abruptly and Kohaku had to pause and then follow the guy's gaze to understand what had caught his attention. Aligned with Chrome's eyes was a stall under a makeshift tent. At first it was an elongated white table, but the decorations were most peculiar, like a strange mixture of hiking souvenirs and a series of devices that to Kohaku were not recognizable, but Chrome seemed more than anything interested in precisely THOSE things. They approached slowly, there seemed to be no one attending the table, although there were some people looking curiously. Chrome didn't talk, he just looked at the devices with bright eyes, plus some small and adorable wicker baskets that had exhibited stones of all kinds.

—Do you like my toys? Aren't they exhilarating?

The voice came from behind them, Chrome seemed to react more to it than Kohaku, turning immediately in its direction while his face was drawing a giant smile.

—Senku!

They seemed to know each other, so Kohaku turned too, mentally ready for another supermodel. Something warm settled briefly into her when she spotted the stranger.

The guy looked like a mad scientist from the movies, hair included: He wore a lab coat, fastened at the waist, and safety googles on his forehead. His gloved black hands opened a can of Red Bull and while giving it the first sip he did not stop smiling in a way...what word to choose...

Instigating, it may sound right. He looked like a villain, in simpler words, as if he was smiling about something he knew and you definitely did not. He was a little taller than her, but his figure was slender and his eyes had an intelligent, sharp glow. 

She wasn't petrified but she was interested in him and what he would have to say.

—Kohaku —Chrome addressed her, holding out a hand in the direction of Senku — he is my cousin Senku. I already knew you'd be here but not HERE, you know?

Senku walked past Chrome to the table and barely directed a glance at Kohaku, before passing behind the exhibition to his intended position. He gestured at the surface of the furniture, basically covering all that had been shown, and said in a quiet but confident voice:

—Who do you think owns 80% of what's here? I'm kind of like the president of this...after all it was my idea. 

—Wow! How long have you been here? A year, right? And you're already president of a club...—there was admiration in Chrome's voice, but also a competitive hint

Senku laughed, pulling the can away from his lips for a moment before moving his hand closer to the nape of his neck and crunching the bones beneath his hand.

—It's not a club, you fool. It's a fraternity. Want to join?


	3. A year ago

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little flashback from Senku's point of view . Senku's first day in campus, a year ago.  
Next chapter will be a continuation of this same flashback before returning back to Chrome's first year!

When Senku looked at Chrome, he saw a bit of himself in his experience. Well, minus the overflowing emotion, Chrome seemed to be armed for battle against the concrete jungle that presented itself on campus, and there was no trace of hesitation on his face. Senku wasn't exactly a college veteran, but he wasn't a rookie either. He had already experienced the loss of his innocence, if there was anything left for a person as cynical as him, in the first couple of semesters...

_A Year Ago_

He did the same thing that everyone does at the end of high school: He opted for all the colleges he could, took all the tests and waited patiently for a few months of leisure during which he exploited to the limit the possibilities of not having schedules or responsibilities. When letters finally began to flow in response, via mail, he was genuinely happy to see so many positive responses, including some scholarships here and there, some partial, some complete, some abroad.

But at the end of the day, he ended up opting for a local institution, because well... what more geniuses were going to be needed at Harvard? He preferred to give Steinwelt the benefit of making them stand out with his work. Perhaps it was a strange and almost non-existent feeling of nationalism, or some feeling of owing something to the educational system by giving them back some transcendental thesis at the end of his career...and well, along the way he could keep Taiju and Yuzuriha company, because he also considered that if he went too far they would probably miss him too much.

...and he would miss them. But we don't have to say that out loud, gross.

The car ride was quiet at first, so Senku thought he could read a book quietly on the way. He sat on the co-driver with a copy of "Astrophysics for People in Need," a small, humorous book about the cosmos, which he had already read several times but which always made him chuckle some dark laughter here and there. He was barely rereading the first chapter when a high-pitched noise began to distract him. At first he would have thought it was some little thing in the car, and his eyes were fixed on the dashboard immediately when the noise became an erratic screech. 

—Hey, I think your car is...

He was going to turn around and make some snarky comment to Byakuya about the dangers of buying used cars when he immediately fell silent and his expression of annoyance was replaced by one of discomfort (and still annoyance). The screech was nothing more than his father trying in vain to silence his nerves, as it seemed that he was on the verge of a burst of tears. Senku hated having to deal with people in such a fragile emotional state, he never knew what to do or what to say, but in his father's case he already imagined the cause of his sensitivity and that only made his nerves twitch. 

—That's enough, if you keep on, I'm going to want to jump out of the car.

Byakuya began wiping his nose as if he had recently noticed that Senku was looking at him. Even if there were no more fluids on his face, Senku knew that it was only a matter of time before he returned to his tracks as soon as Senku was back to his book and the heavy atmosphere in the driver's cabin had already taken away all the desire he had to talk mentally about physics with Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Senku thought for a moment and when he saw a familiar corner approaching on the way, he reclined in his seat and pointed at his father:

—Your expression is distressing. It has to be fixed or you're going to bother me the whole trip. Turn here.

—Of course,— Senku replied simply, shrugging his shoulders as if nothing had happened. —Who knows when it will be the next time I can eat a decent plate. But shake off that face, I don't want to have to answer questions.

Senku didn't have to look at him to know his father was smiling. But he appreciated that Byakuya had not told him more about it, after all they were not very sentimental (or at least not Senku), but on very rare occasions, despite having lived with him for more than ten years, Byakuya had to relearn that Senku preferred not to meddle fully in matters that had to do with the heart, and that the mere mention of sentimentalism made him as nervous as an animal dazzled by the headlights of a car. The man only hoped that his son would someday learn about those things, which he as a Father could unfortunately no longer teach him. 

  
Despite not understanding each other much in that area, Byakuya had already become accustomed to the incredible things the young man did as a hobby. He had also learned to congratulate him when something new filled him with pride, but he knew how to keep his distance in case the unbelievable creation in turn exploded and scorched his eyebrows. Walking around without eyebrows, at his age, didn't sound very funny, but Senku wasn't going to stop doing potentially inflammable things in the near future.

On the other hand, while Senku did not understand how to deal with other people's feelings, at least the scientific method had taught him to identify roughly where they came from. As they resumed their journey in their car, with a full stomach, his crimson eyes rolled between the road and the individual in the pilot, analyzing: His father had spent a few months in space, fulfilling his lifelong dream, and communication between them had been almost non-existent during that time. However, when he returned, the way home had not been as immediate as in the movies, and when Byakuya had finally come back, there was no time left for the high school graduation ceremony.

In short, the factor distance + unexpected additional distance + nostalgia for home + Senku in the final run of high school (logically, time on earth is the same) = Inability to have control of one' s own feelings. Or was it, that simply watching Senku grow reminded Byakuya that he was no longer so young and depressed him. 50/50, Senku couldn't be entirely sure, but it wasn't as if he could keep dissecting his father, because he was close to being separated from him again and not seeing him for a long, long time.

\--------------

Senku arrived on campus about an hour after Taiju and Yuzuriha were already installed in their respective dorms. He warned them that he was already in the immediate vicinity of the institute, but additionally that he would meet with them, wherever they were, when he had finished fixing up his room. He was a little irritated because at the entrance, they had been detained in the security booth for what seemed to be an unnecessary amount of time.

Now he was in what would be his shared room, with no sign of the other person. Initially he had believed that it was unoccupied, since the door was not marked and no one had answered the knock, but once inside he realized that indeed the exact half of the room was occupied by the belongings of another human. Byakuya was in his second round of searching for luggage, so Senku allowed himself to look closely at the details surrounding him:

The bed was assembled, with a set of sheets and neatly cushioned pillows, but it didn't look like anyone had been lying on it for a long time. After he had run the closet door a little, he realized that there were some hooks hanging but all empty, so the person who was there had probably left everything that way for the season. On the desk, there were several books in an ordered row, and one dramatically opened with a shiny bookmark in the middle; something that honestly gave Senku a little anxiety because the person had marked in the middle of a chapter.

Why are people like that? Why don't you finish the chapters and mark at the end? And he had left for a long time... Where is the continuity?

What kind of person was his roommate? Senku hoped he wouldn't snore, at the very least, but now he feared he was a sociopath.

His spirits fell to the floor when he noticed the souvenirs at the head of the bed: nothing out of the ordinary except for a small plaque with a well-known shape. It was a youtube button, the silver one that people are given for reaching a hundred thousand subscribers.

Oh no, his roommate WAS a sociopath.

—Uff! This is the last one...—Byakuya had just brought the missing monitors to Senku's computer, and on his back he had the telescope hanging in its white leather cover.

They both stared at the things while Bkyakuya caught his breath. He was also a good observer: two posters framed on the wall caught his attention, one that looked like a magician he had seen on TV years ago, and another from a rock band where all the boys looked like girls because they were all dressed in makeup and very tight clothes... Or were they girls?

—What kind of person do you think your roommate is?—he asked Senku with genuine curiosity

Senku did not answer with more than a noise like that of a wounded animal (and very upset one).  
  


\--------------

There was no emotional farewell hug, as expected. The morning Ramen had silently sealed the sentimentalities, as a pact between them. Senku saw his father get into the car and put on his seat belt, in the shortest time possible, and as he turned on the engine, through the driver's window he asked Senku several questions to make sure everything was in order. Senku was answering everything and doing a mental check in case he forgot something, but in the back of his mind an uncomfortable sensation began to install and bathe his whole body like a poison.

He felt a kind of unidentified cold, so he put his hands in the pockets of his sweater, and discovered that they were sweating a bit. Was he getting sick? There was a hole in his stomach when he saw Byakuya smile.

—Well, all set then. I hope you do well ... see you in summer, if you decide to come back for a while, okay —and that said he bade farewell with a bow of the head and put both hands on the wheel

As if he had been hit with a hammer, Senku's reflexes leapt and he ended up slapping the roof of the car.

Byakuya let out an undignified shriek and looked at him immediately with a question in his eyes. Senku felt a little sweaty, but tried to contain the nerve behind one of his typical smirks and leaned slightly toward the window, joking, but tense:

—Don't bring any girlfriends into my room while I'm gone. I'll know.

Byakuya smiled at him, but the strangeness of the gesture still remained, for Senku seemed immensely uncomfortable for some reason. He actually looked a bit pale.

Without saying anything, he began to murmur that just in case he would leave him some emergency medicine he had with him, and when he began to check in the glove box, the young man drew his attention once again, this time in a different but distinct way:

—Dad.

He was stunned. He didn't remember the last time Senku had called him that. Perhaps one night he had an illogical fear of the dark? The first time he had taken him to eat Ramen? That time after failing so many times in a children's experiment he had finally succeeded with his help? When?

He could only look at him, with the smallest heart and the stomach at his feet.

—Thank you. —Senku finally said, exhaling in a barely perceptible way,—For this. And for everything else. —Then he swallowed a little, because his words were too soft and he didn't like to hear his own voice with such little confidence. —Thanks for everything, Dad. You can go now.

Byakuya laughed, he honestly found funny how clumsy Senku could be for these things. Just when he thought it would take him much longer to try the warm waters of sentimentality. His kind smile turned into a playful smile and then into a slightly malicious one, very similar to the grins Senku himself used to make. This caused the crimson-eyed male to take a preventive step backwards, as if he feared an attack.

—Senku...I **LOVE YOU** son...

Senku made a face as if he had been punched in the pit of the stomach. And then his expression was dominated by shame, discomfort and the desire to kill the man who had loved and protected him all his life.

—UUUURGHHHH! Go away, you old slug!

In his anger, it became difficult for him to know what had sounded louder, whether his father's laughter or the engine going at full speed.


End file.
